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Emily Murphy’s first day as a Magistrate
This is a photo of Emily Murphy appointed as a magistrate. Emily Murphy was appointed Judge of the Juvenile Court by the city of Edmonton in 1916.
Alberta appointed her as a magistrate within a year. Murphy was Canada's first female judge. A male lawyer questioned her appointment on her first day in court.
Only a "qualified person" could sit on the Bench, he claimed. Only men were considered persons in British law; women were not even mentioned. -
Supreme Court ruling on the Persons Case
Justice Robert Smith) ruled unanimously that women were not “persons” under Section 24 of the BNA Act. Women were therefore ineligible for appointment to the Senate. Their decision was based on the premise that the BNA Act had to be interpreted the same way in 1928 as in 1867, when the Act was passed. I chose this image because it's a picture taken in 1929 during the Supreme Court ruling on the Person's Case. -
British Privy Council ruling on the Person’s Case
The women now appealed their case to the Judicial Committed of the Privy Council in England. This was the final court of appeal for all members of the British Empire. The Privy Council ruled on 18 October 1929 that women were indeed “persons,” and that “the exclusion of women from all public offices is a relic of days more barbarous than ours.” The Alberta Five had triumphed.- I chose this image because it is a picture of what the British Privy Council ruling on the Persons Case looks like.
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Carine Wilsons’ appointment to the Senate*
Wilson was appointed the first female senator of the country at the age of 45 in February 1930 by the government of Prime Minister William Lyon Mackenzie King; this was just four months after the Persons Case judgment was handed down by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council.- I chose this image because it is a picture of Carine Wilson as a senate.
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Formation of the Famous Five
The Famous 5 Foundation was established on 18 October 1996, the 65th anniversary of the Persons Case. Its mandate is to "empower women and girls to courageously lead change that contributes to a society without boundaries for women". This is a picture and description of the famous five, I chose this picture because it is one of the people who gave power, freedom and courage to all women.